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There area bunch of oxymorons in the automotive world. Reliable Fiat. Quality Maserati. Leak-free Land Rover. Inexpensive Porsche. Today, we have another one to add to the list: Restored G-Wagen.
Long before the housewives of the world used the G-Wagen as a grocery-getter and mall crawler, this box on wheels was a utilitarian masterpiece. It was meant to be used and abused, and for the first 21 years of production, they basically were. Then in 1990 when the W463 rolled onto the scene, they got very posh, very fast. However, if you still want that utilitarian experience, there are plenty of them out there. To no one’s surprise, people like to have their cake and eat it too. They want old, but they also want comfortable and luxury. That is exactly what this 1991 G230 is. Someone actually went through the trouble and expense of restoring a G-Wagen with a naturally-aspirated four cylinder that made 123 horsepower when new. I guess that is all you need when the speed limit on Nantucket is only 25 mph.
Be still, my beating heart. One of my favorite vehicles of all time in one of my favorite colors. This is a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500GE. You are probably saying “500GE?”, and yes, that would be correct. Somehow Mercedes stuffed the M117 V8 into the engine bay of the G and drove Mercedes technicians insane. The 500GE is extremely rare, and believe it or not, was only offered in one color: Amethyst Blue Metallic. There is nothing really blue about it, this G is purple. It is a much darker purple than Bornite Metallic and that is totally fine with me because I love it. This example for sale up in The Netherlands comes in with 135,000 miles and looks like it has about half that. The price? About what you’d expect.
Three door SUVs are an interesting proposition. You have all the utility a 4×4 has to offer, but with less cargo space and sometimes less seats. It clearly works as we’ve had multiple versions of them running around for decades like the Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender 90, and even stuff like the Ford Bronco. Lest we forget Germany’s entry into this market, the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. These have also been around for decades but as the years went on, demand for five door models has been so great that it is rare to see a W463 G-Wagen. However, today I ran across a 1999 three door in Germany and it isn’t just your normal W463, this one is one of the very few G55s made in the short body.
To commemorate the end of the G-Class Cabriolet production, Mercedes-Benz decided to make a special version called the ”Final Edition 200” that was slated to be ultimate G cabriolet. They grabbed the wheels from the G63/G65, put some fancy leather work inside, added a some badges, and pitched it to all their best buyers. All 200 sold out before production even started, and those buyers probably weren’t too happy to hear a few years later that this wasn’t the end of the G cabriolet run thanks to the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet. Granted, this was the last two-door G Cabrio, but still. Today, one of the 200 is up for sale Miami thanks to some federalization help from Europa International. However, this price on this G probably isn’t what you would guess. Are you sitting down?
The new second-generation W463 (Not called the W464. Don’t get me started on this.) Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens have been have been on dealer lots for a few months now and as expected, they are selling so fast that the lot attendants don’t even have a chance to swirl the paint up by trying to “wash” them. They’ve been selling at a rapid pace because in addition to looking nice and fresh, they ride more like a new Range Rover than a military vehicle from the 1970s. This however has the last of the first-generation W463 not selling so hot because even with offering a little discount on them, a person who can spend $140,000 on something can probably spend $150,000 to get something that is much better. Mercedes knew this, so they tarted up the last of the first generation cars in fancy paint and today’s vehicle is exactly that. This 2018 G63 AMG is painted in Agate Green that is a color I can say I’ve never seen before. Normally I love green, but I’m not sure about this color on this hulking SUV. This color on a 911? Absolutely. On a G63? Well, what do you think?
